Work-Life Balance: What Men and Women Agree On

When we talk work-life balance, it's often from an outdated feminine stereotype, morphing from carving out time for girlfriend-getaways and pilates paired with goal-weight-destroying desserts to taking care of our children and aging parents as we ourselves grow older. But according to the results of a new study, reported by Fortune, women and men want work-life balance in equal measure. Bain & Company asked 1,500 MBA students and graduates what they crave from their careers, an almost equal number—50 percent of men and 51 percent of women—say they "plan to prioritize non-work commitments over career progression," Fortune reports. In the same vein, most men and women fear that maintaining a work-life balance could sabotage their careers. According to Fortune, 42 percent of male and 40 percent of female MBA students or graduates report this anxiety. Additionally, 70 percent of men and 80 percent of women, intend to have a joint parenting role once they welcome kids into their lives, the study found. Study author and chair of Bain & Company's global women's leadership council Julie Coffman told Fortune the study's results show men and women have rejected the idea "of putting blinders on and only marching up the career

When we talk work-life balance, it's often from an outdated feminine stereotype, morphing from carving out time for girlfriend-getaways and pilates paired with goal-weight-destroying desserts to taking care of our children and aging parents as we ourselves grow older. But according to the results of a new study, reported by Fortune, women and men want work-life balance in equal measure.

Bain & Company asked 1,500 MBA students and graduates what they crave from their careers, an almost equal number—50 percent of men and 51 percent of women—say they "plan to prioritize non-work commitments over career progression," Fortune reports. In the same vein, most men and women fear that maintaining a work-life balance could sabotage their careers. According to Fortune, 42 percent of male and 40 percent of female MBA students or graduates report this anxiety.

Additionally, 70 percent of men and 80 percent of women, intend to have a joint parenting role once they welcome kids into their lives, the study found.

Study author and chair of Bain & Company's global women's leadership council Julie Coffman told Fortune the study's results show men and women have rejected the idea "of putting blinders on and only marching up the career ladder." And that's important, she noted, because with more women and men seeking balance, we're more likely to actually experience it in the future. "The more everyone shares this ambition, the closer we get to real change," Coffman said.

We'll reach real change, she says, when companies begin to redefine what they celebrate as success, as well as developing flexible work models on the way to the top. "We're not saying people shouldn't work hard—they should," said Coffman. "But the definition of how you work hard has to start looking different than it does right now."

Do the men you know also crave work-life balance? How can we achieve it while still working our way to the top?